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The Basics
American Democracy, p. 301-316
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Congress is the leading branch of national gov’t. It is the
first institution defined in the Constitution.
Article I:
o “All legislative powers herein granted shall be invested in a
Congress which shall consist of a Senate and House of
Representatives…”
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No executive agency or lower court can exist except as
authorized by Congress.
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Congressional elections tend to have strong local
orientation and favor incumbents.
Leadership is provided by party leaders (more on this later).
Work of Congress is done mainly through its committees
and subcommittees, each of which has its separate
leadership and policy jurisdiction.
Congress’s policymaking role is based on three major
functions:
o Lawmaking
o Representation
o Oversight
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Most members of Congress are professional politicians.
How much do Congressmen make?
o 2011: Approximately $174,000 + Benefits (usgovinfo.about.com)
o Leaders make more.
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Roughly 95 percent of House incumbents and about 90
percent of Senate incumbents have been reelected.
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This is largely due to party identification within a particular
state/region.
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Other incumbent advantages…
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Have a Consistent Constituency (Loyalty): constituents are
those eligible to vote in a given region.
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Support Particular Pork-Barrel Projects: legislation that
funds a particular locale (e.g., highways, hospitals). Also
known as “earmarks.”
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Use a Service Strategy: constituents are comfortable with a
representatives ability to respond to their needs.
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House member allowance for staff (no more than 18)
$800,000.
Senator’s allowance ranges from $2-4 million, depending
on the population of the state they represent.
o Senator’s staff could be up to 50 people.
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Each member of Congress is also permitted several free
mailings to constituent households, a privilege known as
“the frank.”
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After a population census (every ten years), the 435 seats
in House are reallocated; a process known as
reapportionment.
The process of redrawing House election districts is known
as redistricting, which rests with the state governments.
Often, the party in power will draw new district boundaries
to favor candidates of their party. This is known as
gerrymandering, after Governor Elbridge Gerry.
~Cartoonist Elkanah Tinsdale’s
criticism of Gerry’s redistricting;
labeled the “Gerry-mander” (after
salamander)
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Typically, the party holding the presidency loses seats in the
midterm congressional elections, especially in the House.
In only four of the last twenty-five midterm elections has the
president’s party gained seats.
Why do you think this is so?
o Drop-off in voter turnout after Pres. Election
o President’s performance
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To Run for House
o 25-years of age
o Citizen for at least seven years
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To Run for Senate
o 30-years of age
o Citizen for at least nine years
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90 percent of Congress is made up of professionals such as
lawyers, business execs., educators, bankers, and journalists.
Blue-collar workers are seldom elected.
Members of Congress are disproportionately white and male.
o Minority groups and women account for less than 15 percent of
Congress (Proportion is twice that of a decade ago).
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~Senator Elizabeth Warren
~Senator Ed Markey
~Congressman Seth Moulton, 6th District, Massachusetts.
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Party caucus: a group that consists of a party’s members in the
House or Senate that serves to elect party’s leadership, set policy
goals, and determine party strategy.
House
o Presided over by a Speaker, elected by its members.
o Speaker is active in developing the party’s positions on issues and
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persuading party members to support these positions.
Speaker has right to speak first during House debate, and decides who
will speak and when.
Speaker chooses chairperson and majority-party members of House
Rules Committee, which controls scheduling of bills for debate.
Speaker can delay sending a bill to floor until there is enough support
for its passage.
Assisted by House majority leader and House majority whip, also
chosen by majority party’s members.
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Majority Leader organizes debate on bills and works to line
up legislative support.
Whip informs members when critical votes are scheduled
and lets others know where leadership stands on the bill.
Minority party has its own leader and whip that heads
party’s caucus and plays leading role in developing party’s
legislative positions.
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Functions like the House leaders but does not have a
presiding officer in the chamber.
Vice President serves as the tie-breaking member of the
Senate.
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~Speaker of the House Paul Ryan
~Vice President Joe Biden
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Most of the work of Congress is done through standing
committees, or permanent committees, with responsibility
for a particular area of public policy.
Examples include defense, government spending, labor,
judiciary, and taxation
House committees average 35-40 members
Senate committees are about half the size.
Each standing committee has its own staff; help draft
legislation, organize hearings, and participate in altering
bills.
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Select: Created to perform specific tasks.
Example: Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which
oversees work of intelligence agencies such as CIA.
Conference: joint committees formed temporarily to work
out differences in House and Senate versions of a
particular bill.
House members generally serve on two committees,
Senators, four.
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About ten thousand bills are introduced during each twoyear session of Congress.
All Senate bills are subject to unlimited debate unless threefifths of the Senate votes for cloture; a limit on debate to
thirty hours.
Cloture helps defeat filibustering, where the minority of
senators prevent a bill from coming to a vote by holding the
floor until other senators give in and withdraw the bill from
consideration.
Senate can also propose amendments to a bill unrelated to
its content; known as a rider.
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Must have majority (50 percent +1) to pass the House or
Senate.
To become law, it must pass, in identical form, both the
House and Senate.
President, then must sign the bill to make it law, or veto it,
with his reasons for rejecting it. Congress can override this
with two-thirds vote of each chamber.
If President does not sign in ten days, and Congress is still
in session, it automatically becomes law.
If President fails to sign within ten days and Congress has
concluded its term, bill does not become law and process
must start again. This is known as a pocket veto.
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Power to:
o Tax
o Spend
o Regulate commerce
o Declare war
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Representative Function:
o Should the main concern of a rep. be the interests of the nation as
a whole or those of his or her own constituency?
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Logrolling: some Congressman, in order to get what they
want, trade one’s vote with another member.
You help me and I’ll help
you!
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Congress enacts laws and appropriates money; admin. of
these laws is entrusted to executive branch. Congress’s
supervisory role is known as oversight.
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Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970:
o “Each standing committee shall review and study, on a continuing
basis, the application, administration, and execution of those laws,
or parts of laws, the subject of which is within the jurisdiction of that
committee.”
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Oversight Example